Q&A: Kelly Slater

If you ask the surf fraternity about living legends, Kelly Slater is the name that carves itself on their minds. A nine-times ASP World Champion, he's also the first surfer to be awarded two perfect scores, back in 2005. With a reign at the top thatÕs lasted 16 years, the 37-year old Floridian is still competing, topping the leaderboard at last October's finals. Slater now has his own charity supporting social and environmental causes.

What's the best advice for novice surfers?

Start in a board that's really long and stable so that when you go to stand up you get the confidence that you can stand up and ride. Warm water helps!

Well, it's usually pretty chilly in the UK. WhatÕs the coldest youÕve surfed in?

Not as cold as some of my friends have surfed in! About 53 degrees (11.6C).

What are the limits for cold surfing?

People surf about as far as you can go without hitting ice. Canada, Greenland, Iceland, Alaska. A friend of mine went down to Antarctica and he actually surfed on an iceberg. The Ôberg was facing in the right direction for about twenty minutes. That's about as cold as it can get - the water's actually freezing!

Have you ever tried riding on anything as unusual?

I surfed on a door once. A friend in a film class made a documentary, and he had me going to work. Surfing on a door is an expression people have, like if someone surfs really good, they say he can surf on a door. So I put on a suit and walked down to the beach and he filmed me. Well, I tried to surf it and I couldn't! I stood up once or twice for about two seconds. Oh, and I half-heartedly tried surfing on a log once.

How often do you come face-to-face with sea creatures?

I know a lot of people who have hit dolphins. There's a fish in Florida we call the snoot, its good to eat. A friend of mine hit one and killed it, then took it home and ate it. Another friend broke the fins off his board in Hawaii hitting a turtle. I've stepped on a shark before when I was about eight, walking out to surf - it got kind of freaked out and took off. I stood on it and didnÕt even realise till a few seconds later.

A lucky escape. Is there any truth to the rumours that sharks like the taste of surfer?

No. I've seen hundreds, but never been attacked. There's not even one shark attack a day across the world.

Then there's the other sea beast - human effluent. Ever had a close shave with a brown bobber?

Yeah. But usually when I'm out in the middle of nowhere and one of my friends decides that they donÕt want to go in the boat! I was in France once by this horrible sewage outfall; there was sewage all around the place. A friend of mine went out to take photos and actually swam through it. Couldn't believe it.

Have you hit yourself on the head so hard with your board that you start seeing things?

What, with all my bad childhood memories revealed in one instant? No. I've been knocked out by hitting the water really fast with my temple though. One time I was underwater for a long time. Lost about thirty seconds. I came to and had amnesia and whiplash. Couldn't remember anything for hours. All I knew was where I was from and the names of my family members. DidnÕt know where I was, who I was with or how long IÕd been there. I was on the boat and I couldn't even find my stuff. That was kind of funny.

Kelly Slater's new book For Your Love is available now. For the Kelly Slater Foundation, visit kellyslaterfoundation.org